Saturday, February 26, 2005
More random library-related thoughts
More factoids from today's lecture
A large corporation or organization loses a document every 12 seconds.
3% of documents are incorrectly filed and thereby "lost" at any given time.
7.5% of documents are permanently lost due to misfiling, misplacing, etc.
The avg executive spends 3.5 hrs a week searching for misplaced documents. No mention was made of how much time their secretaries spend searching for the same documents, nor of how many calories are expended in 1) executive yelling at secretary; 2) secretary madly searching for document; 3) secretary finding document on exective's desk, or in executive's recycling bin. :-)
- - - - -
As the small group I was in was discussing one of our assigned readings, we went off on a tangent about the new roles emerging for libraries, some quite unplanned. One of them, especially in cities in colder climes than San Diego, is as de facto daytime shelters for the homeless. This got my sleep deprived brain wondering about why libraries have ended up in this role, and my thoughts went on from there.
Libraries have evolved into daytime homeless shelters, in my mind, b/c
1) They're open during the daytime, when most homeless shelters close, and are free to enter, unlike most museums;
2) They are the only sort of open public building where it is acceptable to come in and simply browse/chill. Other public buildings which are open expect clients/the public to come in, accomplish a task or transaction, and then leave. Thus it's less possible to loiter in them, enjoying the heat and shelter. In contrast, while one can come into the library to simply execute a transaction and leave quickly, the norm and expectation is more that you will in fact loiter--browse the stacks, sit in a comfortable chair and read, sit at a table and take notes. Even churches, which used to be open for prayer and meditation, are increasingly locked up due to vandalism and violence. Libraries, OTOH, are staffed and have theft-prevention devices in place (for the items in the collection, at least, if not the personal items of other patrons). Thus libraries are the only indoor space where loitering is tolerated, and in some senses even encouraged, if one at least gives the impression one is reading something, or thinking hard about something.
3) In the past 40 years libraries have put more energy into being welcoming to folks of all economic classes and races, etc., which means they have to pay at least superficial attention to allowing the poor and grungy into their spaces, so long as they're not disruptive or dangerous.
- - - - -
This line of thought then got me thinking about what other spaces exist which have the same characteristics: free admission, allow/encourage loitering. My mind immediately turned to the way that bookstores have recently? turned into social hubs. The Borders near my office is absolutely buzzing w/ activity on any weeknight. Folks are sitting studying in the cafe' while sipping a latte, or browsing through the stacks. It and Barnes and Noble are apparently known as spots for romantic "scoping" and pickups among those young adults who prefer to browse books rather than sip martinis.
While I remember the libraries at the universities I've attended serving similar functions, I don't think I've ever noticed folks flocking to the public library for the same purposes. How does Borders differ culturally and functionally from a library? Why is Borders a hopping social spot, while the library isn't? You might think, since library resources are free, while to actually carry a book out of Borders costs money, that it would be the other way round....
Some obvious differences...you can eat and drink in Borders; Borders is open later in the evenings; Borders has more music and video resources to browse; the ratio of popular to academic/dry tomes is surely higher at Borders; Borders doesn't have to overcome the stereotype of a librarian saying, "Shush!" (Though libraries don't seem nearly so quiet these days...) Borders is located near shops and restaurants and other attractions, not in a residential neighborhood. Any other thoughts to add to these?
A large corporation or organization loses a document every 12 seconds.
3% of documents are incorrectly filed and thereby "lost" at any given time.
7.5% of documents are permanently lost due to misfiling, misplacing, etc.
The avg executive spends 3.5 hrs a week searching for misplaced documents. No mention was made of how much time their secretaries spend searching for the same documents, nor of how many calories are expended in 1) executive yelling at secretary; 2) secretary madly searching for document; 3) secretary finding document on exective's desk, or in executive's recycling bin. :-)
- - - - -
As the small group I was in was discussing one of our assigned readings, we went off on a tangent about the new roles emerging for libraries, some quite unplanned. One of them, especially in cities in colder climes than San Diego, is as de facto daytime shelters for the homeless. This got my sleep deprived brain wondering about why libraries have ended up in this role, and my thoughts went on from there.
Libraries have evolved into daytime homeless shelters, in my mind, b/c
1) They're open during the daytime, when most homeless shelters close, and are free to enter, unlike most museums;
2) They are the only sort of open public building where it is acceptable to come in and simply browse/chill. Other public buildings which are open expect clients/the public to come in, accomplish a task or transaction, and then leave. Thus it's less possible to loiter in them, enjoying the heat and shelter. In contrast, while one can come into the library to simply execute a transaction and leave quickly, the norm and expectation is more that you will in fact loiter--browse the stacks, sit in a comfortable chair and read, sit at a table and take notes. Even churches, which used to be open for prayer and meditation, are increasingly locked up due to vandalism and violence. Libraries, OTOH, are staffed and have theft-prevention devices in place (for the items in the collection, at least, if not the personal items of other patrons). Thus libraries are the only indoor space where loitering is tolerated, and in some senses even encouraged, if one at least gives the impression one is reading something, or thinking hard about something.
3) In the past 40 years libraries have put more energy into being welcoming to folks of all economic classes and races, etc., which means they have to pay at least superficial attention to allowing the poor and grungy into their spaces, so long as they're not disruptive or dangerous.
- - - - -
This line of thought then got me thinking about what other spaces exist which have the same characteristics: free admission, allow/encourage loitering. My mind immediately turned to the way that bookstores have recently? turned into social hubs. The Borders near my office is absolutely buzzing w/ activity on any weeknight. Folks are sitting studying in the cafe' while sipping a latte, or browsing through the stacks. It and Barnes and Noble are apparently known as spots for romantic "scoping" and pickups among those young adults who prefer to browse books rather than sip martinis.
While I remember the libraries at the universities I've attended serving similar functions, I don't think I've ever noticed folks flocking to the public library for the same purposes. How does Borders differ culturally and functionally from a library? Why is Borders a hopping social spot, while the library isn't? You might think, since library resources are free, while to actually carry a book out of Borders costs money, that it would be the other way round....
Some obvious differences...you can eat and drink in Borders; Borders is open later in the evenings; Borders has more music and video resources to browse; the ratio of popular to academic/dry tomes is surely higher at Borders; Borders doesn't have to overcome the stereotype of a librarian saying, "Shush!" (Though libraries don't seem nearly so quiet these days...) Borders is located near shops and restaurants and other attractions, not in a residential neighborhood. Any other thoughts to add to these?
LIBR 200
Today was the first of 4 in-person class meetings for LIBR 200, "Information and Society."
There was some overlap in class membership w/ the 202 class I started last month--I'd say 1/3 to 1/2 of the folks are the same. 200 and 202 are two of the three core courses required to be taken early in the program, so that makes sense. The demographics of those who are only in this class are similar to the others....we all have BAs in various liberal arts fields, most have been working in education or non-profit or service-sector jobs and are looking for a change. In fact, "history," "English," "Fine Arts" and "Liberal Studies" account for the undergrad majors of 5/6 of the class. Add in a few psych, soc, and communications folks, and that's us. Even the few who are working as IT professionals seem to have started out w/ a liberal arts degree.
Our professor is a Chinese fellow who did his BA in China and then his MA and PhD over here. He is very thoughtful--brought hot tea and oatmeal raisin cookies for the class. No wonder he gets such good student evals. :-) His accent is fairly strong, but manageable if you pay close attention.
Before becoming a professor, he worked in Silicon Valley for RICOH, a maker of photocopiers, scanners and faxes. When everyone was forecasting the advent of the paperless office, this made RICOH more than a little nervous, so he did various research studies into how people actually use paper documents, and how that is or isn't changing w/ technology. He presented the highlights of this research in today's lecture.
Some interesting factoids.....the use of paper and paper products in the USA is expanding at a geometric rate. Within that increase, there is an increase in the use of paper for printing, copying, etc., and a decrease in the use of paper products for shipping, i.e. cardboard, etc.. The paper involved in producing and signing off on testing for a 747 airliner weighs almost as much as the airplane itself. A US Navy Cruiser carries 26 tons of manuals documenting its weapons systems.
While the amount of paper being consumed is increasing, the nature of the uses it's being put to are changing as technology changes. The amount of paper used by photocopiers is decreasing while that used by printers is increasing. The number of envelopes used is decreasing. The number of Post-It notes and highlighters used is increasing. These are manifestations of the change from the document life cycle of
"write-->print one copy-->photocopy multiple sets-->mail to recipients via postal mail"
to that of
"write-->transmit in electronic format to all recipients-->individual recipients print out copies for their use."
I have to have an idea of what my final paper topic will be by tomorrow. So, lots of brainstorming tonight. I'll post a few more thoughts along those lines here later.
There was some overlap in class membership w/ the 202 class I started last month--I'd say 1/3 to 1/2 of the folks are the same. 200 and 202 are two of the three core courses required to be taken early in the program, so that makes sense. The demographics of those who are only in this class are similar to the others....we all have BAs in various liberal arts fields, most have been working in education or non-profit or service-sector jobs and are looking for a change. In fact, "history," "English," "Fine Arts" and "Liberal Studies" account for the undergrad majors of 5/6 of the class. Add in a few psych, soc, and communications folks, and that's us. Even the few who are working as IT professionals seem to have started out w/ a liberal arts degree.
Our professor is a Chinese fellow who did his BA in China and then his MA and PhD over here. He is very thoughtful--brought hot tea and oatmeal raisin cookies for the class. No wonder he gets such good student evals. :-) His accent is fairly strong, but manageable if you pay close attention.
Before becoming a professor, he worked in Silicon Valley for RICOH, a maker of photocopiers, scanners and faxes. When everyone was forecasting the advent of the paperless office, this made RICOH more than a little nervous, so he did various research studies into how people actually use paper documents, and how that is or isn't changing w/ technology. He presented the highlights of this research in today's lecture.
Some interesting factoids.....the use of paper and paper products in the USA is expanding at a geometric rate. Within that increase, there is an increase in the use of paper for printing, copying, etc., and a decrease in the use of paper products for shipping, i.e. cardboard, etc.. The paper involved in producing and signing off on testing for a 747 airliner weighs almost as much as the airplane itself. A US Navy Cruiser carries 26 tons of manuals documenting its weapons systems.
While the amount of paper being consumed is increasing, the nature of the uses it's being put to are changing as technology changes. The amount of paper used by photocopiers is decreasing while that used by printers is increasing. The number of envelopes used is decreasing. The number of Post-It notes and highlighters used is increasing. These are manifestations of the change from the document life cycle of
"write-->print one copy-->photocopy multiple sets-->mail to recipients via postal mail"
to that of
"write-->transmit in electronic format to all recipients-->individual recipients print out copies for their use."
I have to have an idea of what my final paper topic will be by tomorrow. So, lots of brainstorming tonight. I'll post a few more thoughts along those lines here later.
Friday, February 11, 2005
Library School
As some folks know, I've enrolled in the MLIS (Master of Library and Information Science) program at San Jose State. One can complete the SJSU program without ever needing to find one's way to San Jose. Satellite locations include Fullerton (southeast LA) and San Diego. My plan is to take 1-2 courses per term, which will have me completing the degree in roughly 3 years. I will be focusing on academic librarianship and special librarianship, with the hope of being employable in either a law library or a university library. Meanwhile I will continue working FT as a paralegal.
When I was wrestling w/ the vocational demons in 2002-3, the best fit overall for A Career Outside the Church seemed to be as a librarian, but one can't get professional-level work in the field w/o an ML(I)S, and that takes at least 1-1/2 yrs to get even going full-time. (It's a 42-credit hour degree.) So it wasn't an option, given I needed a job in a matter of months, not years. The paralegal approach seemed the best fit given the time constraints. And I figured if it put food on the table, it could also buy me time to investigate other more demanding options, such as getting an MLIS. So, now I'm following up on that.
Today was my first actual day of classes. I'm taking 2 courses this spring: 202,"Information Retrieval," and 200, "Information and Society." Each is taught primarily via the Web, with only 2 full days of face-to-face instruction for each course, at a public library in Scripps Ranch, about 12 miles from here. Today and tomorrow are the in-person days for 202. The in-person part of 200 will be the last Sat. and Sun. in February.
A few retired librarian friends from other parts of my life have asked me to blog about my experiences, so they can hear what the SJSU program is like. Those of you who don't really care about such details can quit reading now. :-)
For 202, "Information Retrieval," my professor is Judy Tessier, who is a retired FT faculty member at SJSU who now simply teaches a few courses a year. There are about 25 students in my section. There are eight sections of 202 this semester, however; it is one of the "core" courses everyone must take. The MLIS program at SJSU is the biggest program at the school and one of the biggest MLIS programs anywhere; I think there are about 1350 students enrolled total. Because it is so conducive to distance-learning, the program attracts students from much further away than just San Diego. One fellow in my class started the program and got about half-way through while he lived in San Diego but has now moved to Edinburgh, Scotland. He flew in from Scotland for the weekend to do this one course, b/c all the other courses he has left he can do totally via the web. Another fellow in another section is from Cornell/Ithaca, NY.
The class members all seem like very interesting folks w/ somewhat similar backgrounds to mine: a bunch of liberal-arts types, mainly. I took notes as folks introduced themselves, and will reproduce the annotated class list here. Their genders are fairly obvious from their names; the ones whose names are "neuter" all happen to be women.
Debra, IT manager for NCR, Escondido CA, wants to go into information side rather than tech side of IT
Sean, Barnes and Noble employee, native of London, UK having relo'd to Mission Valley,San Diego, wants to work in public libraries
Yvonne, currently employed in a library (?), wants to be academic librarian, Vietnamese of Chinese ethnicity, lives in LA
Susan, lives in SD, wants to be a special or public librarian
Cheryl, librarian and technologist at UCSD, wants to specialize in special or art libraries
Adrianne, works for City of LA housing dept. Wants to learn more about IT and information design. Only African American in group.
Alison. Stay at home mom of 3 kids under 5.
David, museum cataloger and webmaster for a private collection of Jewish ritual objects, LA area. Focusing in archives.
Liz. USNA grad, USNR officer PT and church secretary PT. Lives in SD.
Kristin. Lives in Hillcrest, SD, wants to be an academic librarian.
John, Chula Vista (south of SD, near Mexican border), public HS English teacher.
Rori. SysAdmin at UCLA, which she does via remote, lives in Oceanside. Interested in digital archiving.
Matthew. Physical therapist who lives in Hillcrest, SD and does lots of volunteer work in local archives; wants to be archivist. If Episcopalian, he should join Integrity and worship at the Cathedral, if you take my meaning.
Cherie. Torrance, CA, works at auto parts company.
Michael. Murrieta. Works as cataloger, wants to move into special libraries focused on financial industry.
Michael. LA area. Public school substitute teacher, surfer dude.
Amanda. Full time mom. Wants to focus in academic or special librarianship.
Tom. Works for SoCalEdison.
Adrianne. SysAdmin at UCLA Med Ctr. Between LA and SD.
Nazreen. Law librarian. LA area. Of Middle-Eastern background.
Jim. San Diego. Retired software programmer and manager. Wants to move into academic or public libraries.
Salena. Northern SD County. Teaches anthro at a small college. Wants to be academic librarian.
William. Edinburgh, Scotland. Rare-book librarian.
Oh, and me. :-)
That's more than enough for this entry.
When I was wrestling w/ the vocational demons in 2002-3, the best fit overall for A Career Outside the Church seemed to be as a librarian, but one can't get professional-level work in the field w/o an ML(I)S, and that takes at least 1-1/2 yrs to get even going full-time. (It's a 42-credit hour degree.) So it wasn't an option, given I needed a job in a matter of months, not years. The paralegal approach seemed the best fit given the time constraints. And I figured if it put food on the table, it could also buy me time to investigate other more demanding options, such as getting an MLIS. So, now I'm following up on that.
Today was my first actual day of classes. I'm taking 2 courses this spring: 202,"Information Retrieval," and 200, "Information and Society." Each is taught primarily via the Web, with only 2 full days of face-to-face instruction for each course, at a public library in Scripps Ranch, about 12 miles from here. Today and tomorrow are the in-person days for 202. The in-person part of 200 will be the last Sat. and Sun. in February.
A few retired librarian friends from other parts of my life have asked me to blog about my experiences, so they can hear what the SJSU program is like. Those of you who don't really care about such details can quit reading now. :-)
For 202, "Information Retrieval," my professor is Judy Tessier, who is a retired FT faculty member at SJSU who now simply teaches a few courses a year. There are about 25 students in my section. There are eight sections of 202 this semester, however; it is one of the "core" courses everyone must take. The MLIS program at SJSU is the biggest program at the school and one of the biggest MLIS programs anywhere; I think there are about 1350 students enrolled total. Because it is so conducive to distance-learning, the program attracts students from much further away than just San Diego. One fellow in my class started the program and got about half-way through while he lived in San Diego but has now moved to Edinburgh, Scotland. He flew in from Scotland for the weekend to do this one course, b/c all the other courses he has left he can do totally via the web. Another fellow in another section is from Cornell/Ithaca, NY.
The class members all seem like very interesting folks w/ somewhat similar backgrounds to mine: a bunch of liberal-arts types, mainly. I took notes as folks introduced themselves, and will reproduce the annotated class list here. Their genders are fairly obvious from their names; the ones whose names are "neuter" all happen to be women.
Debra, IT manager for NCR, Escondido CA, wants to go into information side rather than tech side of IT
Sean, Barnes and Noble employee, native of London, UK having relo'd to Mission Valley,San Diego, wants to work in public libraries
Yvonne, currently employed in a library (?), wants to be academic librarian, Vietnamese of Chinese ethnicity, lives in LA
Susan, lives in SD, wants to be a special or public librarian
Cheryl, librarian and technologist at UCSD, wants to specialize in special or art libraries
Adrianne, works for City of LA housing dept. Wants to learn more about IT and information design. Only African American in group.
Alison. Stay at home mom of 3 kids under 5.
David, museum cataloger and webmaster for a private collection of Jewish ritual objects, LA area. Focusing in archives.
Liz. USNA grad, USNR officer PT and church secretary PT. Lives in SD.
Kristin. Lives in Hillcrest, SD, wants to be an academic librarian.
John, Chula Vista (south of SD, near Mexican border), public HS English teacher.
Rori. SysAdmin at UCLA, which she does via remote, lives in Oceanside. Interested in digital archiving.
Matthew. Physical therapist who lives in Hillcrest, SD and does lots of volunteer work in local archives; wants to be archivist. If Episcopalian, he should join Integrity and worship at the Cathedral, if you take my meaning.
Cherie. Torrance, CA, works at auto parts company.
Michael. Murrieta. Works as cataloger, wants to move into special libraries focused on financial industry.
Michael. LA area. Public school substitute teacher, surfer dude.
Amanda. Full time mom. Wants to focus in academic or special librarianship.
Tom. Works for SoCalEdison.
Adrianne. SysAdmin at UCLA Med Ctr. Between LA and SD.
Nazreen. Law librarian. LA area. Of Middle-Eastern background.
Jim. San Diego. Retired software programmer and manager. Wants to move into academic or public libraries.
Salena. Northern SD County. Teaches anthro at a small college. Wants to be academic librarian.
William. Edinburgh, Scotland. Rare-book librarian.
Oh, and me. :-)
That's more than enough for this entry.
